Lamont Lyrics
Words & Media from the DU Lamont School of Music - Our Official Online Newsletter
Fall 2020
Has it been just seven months since we launched this newsletter? Our society has been challenged by multiple upheavals, each demanding much from us. But in facing these challenges, this time also has brought out the best in us.
Lamont faculty applied creative ideas to our daunting challenge last spring of implementing online instruction on a large scale, and our students continued to produce impressive work as performers, composers and scholars. We took steps this summer to accelerate a meaningful and sustainable response to issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice. The university has mounted impressive and thorough plans to open in the fall, offering a combination of in-person, hybrid and online instruction while keeping the health and safety of our community its highest priority. It has been a time when my pride in serving this remarkable community called Lamont grew. As this fall begins, we go forward in a world that continues to grapple with unprecedented change. I am confident that DU and Lamont will contribute positively to that change.
In this issue of Lamont Lyrics we share with you photos and videos of our response to the pandemic and a call for inclusion and diversity, news highlights and profiles of faculty, students, alumni, parents and donors – all foundational groups that define the Lamont community. Please enjoy, and stay safe and well.
Dr. Keith Ward, Director, Lamont School of Music
Pandemic Response
Faculty & Students Rise to Challenge of Pivoting to Virtual Classes
When the campus closed last spring, faculty students and staff met and exceeded the challenges caused by moving to virtual classes, lessons, performances and master classes.
Inclusion & Diversity
The Spirituals Project on the "CBS Evening News"
Spirituals Project director M. Roger Holland and longtime choir member Alice Rasberry were interviewed for a national story by Janet Shamlian on the CBS Evening News.
Inclusion & Diversity
"Flow: The Rhythmic Voice in Rap Music" by Mitchell Ohriner
Lamont music theory faculty member Mitchell Ohriner has published a new book addressing flow, the rhythm of the rapping voice. Originating in dance parties in the South Bronx in the late 1970s, hip hop and rap music have become a dominant style of popular music in the United States and a force for activism all over the world.
Pandemic Response
Steve Wiest and the Lamont Jazz Orchestra Record Virtually
Steve Wiest and the Lamont Jazz Orchestra worked with student recording engineer Colton Sparks to produce a pair of virtual recordings. Other studios and ensembles also contributed recordings.
See more performances on the Lamont Facebook page.
Inclusion & Diversity
"Choral Diversity — Equity in Sound & Practice"
Lamont and GIA Publishing co-sponsored a national webinar narrated by Lamont's M. Roger Holland. He was joined by five other choral directors and scholars in a very important conversation about issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in choral music and education.
Pandemic Response
#DULamontCommunity
Since our concert and recital hall stages were dark, we presented at-home performances by Lamont students, faculty and graduates on social media.
Presenting Lamont graduates Thomas Jennings, Megan Letts, Jackson Hillmer, Carrie McCune, Kevin Matthews, Eli Acosta and Grace Clark with friends.
See more performances on the Lamont Facebook page.
Pandemic Response
A virtual Lamont Summer Academy Was a First
The two-week program held in late June and early July, moved online serving pre-college musicians in all four time zones and Mexico. Students participated in a variety of music making including a very innovative approach to chamber music over the internet.
Lamont Concert & Events Calendar
Since we are unable to invite our audiences to the Newman Center this fall, all Lamont concerts and recitals will be streamed. Watch for an online schedule.
Alumni
Robert Wolff BM 1983 in oboe performance, was scoring editor for three of John Williams' Star Wars films and is currently editing a massive recording project for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Photo: Andrea Shea, WBUR. A playback session for Shostakovich: Symphony #8, Symphony Hall, Boston, March 2016. (L to R) BSO recording engineer Nick Squire, Maestro Andris Nelsons and Robert.
Read More Alumni
Students
Just entering his senior year, percussionist James Nickell already has a number of school-wide and international awards listed in his biography.
Read More
Parents
Ann and Brian Fitzgerald's son Trey, a senior vocalist, has turned his parents into Lamont Opera Theatre fans.
Read More
Donors
A long-time Lamont Society donor, Jennifer Heglin takes special care of students by funding scholarships and student awards.
Photo: Jennifer with former Lamont director Joe Docksey at Showcase Lamont.
Read More Lamont Society
Faculty
An avid bicyclist who recently retired from our faculty, Antonia Banducci has inspired students with her passion for music history and service to the Lamont community for 25 years.
Read More
The Spirituals Project on CBS Evening News
In honor of Black History Month, CBS News met a group on a mission to preserve and revive a rich musical treasure.
New Faculty Trombonist Continues Musical Journey With the Lamont School of Music
He’s had a long career as an in-demand performer, but trombonist Richard Harris says it always was part of his plan to end up in academia.
What is Good Music?
In his new book, musicology professor John Sheinbaum urges readers to rethink how we evaluate music. “This idea that there is good music and bad music is something that people do, rather than an absolute truth in the music itself,” says Sheinbaum.
